Two projects in development–a podcast and a book–both about Stop Making Sense, the 1984 film by director Jonathan Demme and band Talking Heads. They are the same project but different. In tandem but also in conversation.
BETTER THAN THAT: Talking Heads, Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense and the Concert Movie.
Stop Making Sense is universally credited as “one of the best concert films ever.”
Although accurate, this faint praise is a ridiculously gross understatement. Not only is Stop Making Sense is the best concert film ever, it’s simply one of the best films ever made.
Better Than That is a book project in development that will use musical, cinematic, and philosophical analysis (based on comprehensive firsthand interviews and rigorous archival and bibliographic research) to figure out exactly what makes Stop Making Sense so great.
STOP MAKING SENSE PODCAST
Interviews people about the movie.
Pre-teen musicians explain why they chose to re-enact Stop Making Sense for their Rock Camp graduation recital.
A fashion scholar investigates the history of business suits and how they get to be so big.
An engineer disassembles the movie’s sound.
Stop Making Sense Podcast‘s subject is Stop Making Sense. And everything that encompasses and everything that implies.
Ted Kulczycky lives in Toronto where he tends bar, listens to music, and watches film. He once travelled for 29.5 hours on a train to see Jerry Harrison introduce Stop Making Sense at The Oriental Theater in Milwaukee. It was worth it.
stopmakingsensepodcast@gmail.cominstagram @stopmakingsensepodcast